Jack LondonBY: Carlos Vergne, Kevin Rosario,

and Gabriel Casal.

To Build a Fire

NaturalismLiterary movement that focused on all of

the negative things in this world; most of them human.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jack London Jack London, whose life symbolized the

power of will, was the most successful writer in America in the early 20th Century. He wrote many fiction novels, which made him very famous. He also wrote a few short stories packed with hardships against nature which often came from his own experiences.

Jack London was a naturalist/ realist writer because in his works he wrote about the daily life of characters, and about society in general.

Jack LondonWhat literary era did Jack London Belong to?

A. Romanticism

B. Realism

C. Naturalism

D. Post-Modernism

E. The Age of Reason

F. Option B. and C.

G. Option E. and A.

H. All of the above

F: options B and C

Jack LondonFor which of the following Genres did London become rich?

A. Autobiographies

B. Fiction Short stories

C. Essays

D. Love Poems

C: Fiction stories, (short)

TO BUILD A FIRE

To Build a Fire“To Build a Fire”, by Jack London is considered

to be one of the prime examples of the Naturalist movement.

It’s the quintessential man-vs.-nature story.

This story was inspired by London’s own experiences in Alaska during the Klondike gold rush.

In this story, London’s literary ability and taste is highlighted throughout this epic battle against nature.

Reading Comprehension• SETTING

A man turns off from the main trail in the?

A: Yellowstone

B: Yukon

C: Serbia

D: Kodiak

B: Yukon

Reading Comprehension

The newcomer, indifferent about the cold, sets off to meet , a dog tags along.

A: His “Homies”

B: “The Guys”

C: “The Boys”

D: “The Men”

C: “The boys” (is what he refers to them as)

Reading ComprehensionAs the man gets colder his cheeks start to freeze

and starts to worry. He tries hard to avoid , and builds a fire to warm off and eat his lunch.

A: The hidden springs

B: Wolves

C: Frostbite

D: The dinosaurs

A: The Hidden Springs

Reading ComprehensionHis lunch consisted of?

A: Grilled Chicken

B: Beaver

C: Soup

D: Biscuits

E: Bread

F: Taters

D: Biscuits

Reading ComprehensionThe man remembers that The old-timer from

Sulphur Creek had warned him of the dangers of going into the frigid Yukon Territory. He emphasized that .

A: It was too cold.

B: Wolves came to hunt at the time.

C: His instincts were not fit for surviving.

D: Traveling alone at those temperatures was dangerous.

D: Traveling alone was dangerous.

Reading ComprehensionHe notices that it was probably below

freezing point, by .

A:. -50 degrees F. (-75 F’) / Spitting in midair.

B: -20 degrees F. (-55F’) / Trying to feel his fingers.

C: It was actually 12 F. / None

D: -5 degrees F (-25F’) / Thermometer.

A: (cuz it’s too long)

Reading ComprehensionAs the man continues on, he , cursing his

luck.

A: Lost the dog.

B: Loses sense of his hands.

C: Eats the remainder of his lunch.

D: Falls through the snow.

D: Falls through the snow.Kewl

Reading ComprehensionAll wet, he realizes he will need to make another

fire to dry himself off. But as he does, his fire is .

A: Extinguished by the snow that drops from his moccasins.

B: Extinguished by the snow on the tree above it.

C: Headshotted…….in the head.

D: Extinguished because the dog buries it in snow while in panic.

B: Extinguished by the snow above it.

Reading ComprehensionIn a panic and scared for his life, the man

quickly tries to build another fire, by trying to .

A: Break a leg.

B: Light a match.

C: Use what was left of his old fire.

D: uselessly wait for a spark by rubbing two sticks against each other.

B: Light a match

Reading ComprehensionHe lights all 70 of his matches, but .

A: They extinguish soon after they are ignited, by the upcoming breeze of frost.

B: The matches fall in the lake.

C: The matches fall down to the snow.

D: They are extinguished by some moss.

D: They are extinguished by nearby moss.

Reading ComprehensionAfter so many unsuccessful attempts, the man

finally decides to .

A: Give up and die peacefully in the snow.

B: Send the dog to get help.

C: Kill the dog and use his body for warmth.

D: Panic and struggle to the ever nearing camp.

C: Kill the dog and use his body for warmth.

Reading ComprehensionThe dog backs away from the man when he tries

to go through with his plan, because?

A: It knows not to trust humans.

B: He was looking for food and not paying attention.

C: It detects fear in the man’s voice.

D: The dog is in denial.

A: It knows not to trust humans.

Reading ComprehensionThe man realizes that his next stop was straight

towards death. He makes a last effort to run towards the camp but his endurance fails him. He keeps stumbling until at last he lays down willingly thinking that .

A: He would be forever forgotten and will become one with nature.

B: His friends would find his body the next day.

C: He should’ve followed the old timer’s advice.

B: His friends would find his body the next day.

Reading ComprehensionThe dog does not understand why the

man is sitting in the snow like that without making a fire. As the night comes, it comes closer and detects death in the man's scent. It runs away in the direction of the camp, "where were the other food-providers and fire-providers."

AnalysisWhich of these traits DOES NOT make Jack London

a realist/ naturalist writer?

A: Some of his novels often showed psychological �impulses, and a Darwinian attitude to the growth of societies.

B: A general � atmosphere of suffering and cruelty - the man's burning flesh, his attempt to kill the dog and warm his hands inside the body, and above all Nature's iron laws.

D: Describing the emotional aspect of his �characters.

 

D: Describing his character’s emotions.

AnalysisTo Build a Fire" sounds almost like an instruction

manual, but the title also implies .

A: Instinctive supremacy

B: The need of survival.

C: A verb

D: Intellectuality over instinct.

B: The need of survival.

AnalysisWhat other clue leads you to think that the author

puts minimum importance to the characters.

A: The indifferent behavior of the dog.

B: The fact that they are anonymous characters.

C: Nature is not merciful.

D: A sad, cruel, and hostile Atmosphere.

E: All of the above.

E: ALL OF THE ABOVE

AnalysisThe man throughout the story seems pretty dumb,

he ignores warnings, remains indifferent when facing grave danger, and thinks that a newcomer like himself will be able to survive the trip, but this may also be the lack of .

A: Intellectuality

B: “Smarticles”

C: Instinct……what the dog has, and therefore survives.

D: Not ^ that^ one.

C: Instinct

AnalysisThe man in the story, most likely represents .

A: Humanity

B: Ignorance

C: “The Man”

D: Overconfidence.

A: Humanity

Analysis• ANTAGONIST

Who, throughout the story, has been the constant adversary of the main character. (Man)?

A: The Dog

B: The Old timer

C: The cold

D: Nature

D: Nature

AnalysisHow does realism pertain to “To build a fire”?

A: The dog knows that he has to survive so he does whatever is necessary in order to survive

B: The man accepts his cruel fate, and nature predominates at the end of the story.

C: The man’s intellectuality underestimates nature.

D: A and B.

D: *(“A &B”)

THE END

ANSWERS:

1. F

2. B

3. B

4. C

5. A

6. D

7. D

8. A

9. D

10. B

11. B

1. 12. 23. 34. 45. 56. 67. 78. 89. 910.011.1112.D13.C14.A15.B16.D17.B18.E19.C20.A21.D22.A